Metallic packing.



rammed Feb. 1|, I902.

' J. C. MILLER.

METALLIC PACKING.

(Application filed June 27, 1901 (No Model.)

vation partly broken away.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB O. MILLER, OF MILYVAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

M ETALLIC PACKING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,046, dated February 11, 1902.

Application filed June 27, 1901. Serial No. 66,198. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JACOB C. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of iVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Packing; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has especial reference to metallic packing for use with piston-rods and valve-stems; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts, as will be fully set forth hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the said drawings, Figure l isavertical sectional view, taken on the plane indicated by the line 1 1 in Figs. 2 and 3, illustrating my improved packing applied to a piston-rod within a stuffing-box and gland, the said rod and part of said packing being shown in ele- Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on the planes indicated by the lines 2 2 and 3 3, respectively, in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail View of one section of my sectional packing-ring, showing also one of the keys which unite the sections, this key being shown cut in two on the line 4 4 in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a plan view of said section of the packing with the said key in place.

The object of my invention is the production of a packing that will keep the joints practically steam-tight and prevent excessive wear on the piston-rod, and hence overcome the objections of leakage and wear that are common to many metal packings.

Referring to the drawings, Arepresents the ordinary stuffing-box of a cylinder-head, at the bottom of which there is placed a solid ring B, preferably of brass, having an outward-extending flange or collar b, forming'a shoulder to receive one end of a spiral steel tension-spring C.

D represents a piston-rod having a collar d on its exposed outer end.

E represents a split ring, also preferably of brass, whose bore is of a diameter to fit the piston-rod and which is split to enable said ring to be passed over the collar cl of the piston-rod in assembling or separating the parts, and to accomplish the same purpose the ring B, first described, while a solid ring, has a bore of sufficient diameter to readily move pastsaid collar (Z. The inner end of the ring E is reduced or shouldered, as shown, on its periphery and exteriorly screw-threaded for engagement with the screw-threaded bore of a solid ring F, also preferably of brass, whereby the -two halves of the split ring E are clamped together, said halves being further united, if desired, by keys or dowel-pins, as indicated in dotted lines at 0, while the inner end of the ring E beyond the line of the ring F is conically tapered on its outer surface, as shown at 0, so as to receive the adjacent end of the tension-spring 0, corresponding in this respect to the flange'b of the ring 13, one end of this spring bearingagainst the ring F and the other end against the widest part of the said ring B. The outer end of the ring E is adjacent to the outer end of the stuffing-box A, and against this end of ring E is placed the base of my sectional packing-ring of Babbitt metal, next to be described, the outer end of ring E being also conical on its outer surface, as shown at f. This packing-ring is made in as many sections as desired, three being a convenient number, said sections being marked G G G and placed close together,s0 as to form a ring with a flat base, a cylindrical bore, and a conical periphery. Further, each section is formed with grooves g in its meeting edges for the reception of keys II, also made of Babbitt metal, whereby the sections G are connected together.

I represents a solid cast-iron ring which is cylindrical on its periphery, but whose bore at the inner end is conical to closely conform to the shape of the sectional packing-ring G G G, said bore being shouldered or cut out at the outer end and screw-threaded to receive the eXteriorly-screw-threaded split ring J, (preferably of brass,) the bore of this latter ring being conical, so as to form a continuation of the conical bore of the cast-iron ring I and like that to fit closely on the sectional packing-ring and form a cone-bearing therefor. The ring I is made solid because its bore is of sufiicient diameter to pass over the pis ton-rod collar 01; but the ring J has to be made in two halves to accomplish this, said halves being connected by dowel-pins t' c' after the collar d has been passed to preserve the alinement of the screw-threads and then screwed into the outer end of the ring I, as best shown in Fig. 1. Against the outer end of the compound ring I J is a solid ring K, preferably of brass. This ring has a cylindrical bore of sufficient diameter to pass over the collar d of the piston-rod, a flat base to bear against the outer ends of the compound ring I .I, and a rounded exterior on the line of a sphere, so as toform a ball-and-socket joint with the similarly-rounded socket h of the gland L to permit the slight irregular motion of the piston-rod and form a universal steam -tight packing. This ring K rolls in the socket of the gland and also slides on its face contact with the compound ring I J. The gland L is made in one piece and connected to the stuffing-box A by means of the screws M and nuts m, and the inner face of the gland is formed with an annular groove therein, in which is seated a copper-wire ring N to form a steamtight joint between the gland and the stufiingbox. The object of making the outer end of the ring E conical, as shown atf, is so that as the Babbitt-metal ring-sections G G G wear and advance into the cast-iron ring I the said ring E may follow as far as practice determines desirable without coming into contact with said ring I.

The sections G G G of which the Babbittmetal ring is made will close together and form a solid complete ring of packing around the rod and will not pinch or hug it, and the keys II will act as braces between said sections and hold them in perfect alinement with each other and further serve to break the joints betweenthem and thus prevent steam from leaking therethrough.

Another advantage of my invention lies in the fact that my soft-metal ring-sections G G G are each made in one piece from the front thin edge back to the flat base, and thereby I have overcome the objection to former metallic packings which were made in annular sections, as in such construction the forward annular section of the packing was liable to be separated and pulled forward by the action of the piston-rod,which is impossible with my device, and hence by the use of my described soft-metal packing-ringit is not essential thal the compound cone-bored ring I J should be elose'to the rod or valve-stem at the forward end. If the piston-rod or valve-stem becomes worn in use and requires to be newly turned or t1-ued,and hence reduced in diameter, it is only needful to make my packing-ring sec- 7 tions G G Gsomewhat thicker, so as to fill the space between the cone-bored ring and the piston-rod or valve-stem without any change in the rings I J. Further, where the pistonrod or valve-stem is free from the collar (1 the described compound ring I J may be made all in one piece, the construction herein illustrated and described of two separate rings I and J being necessary only on account of the collar don the rod.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a metallic packing, the combination with a stufling-box and its gland, and a rod or stem having longitudinal movement therethrough, of a tension-spring and outer hardmetal ring entirely within the stuffing-box; a soft-metal ring formed in sections, held together by means of recesses in their meeting edges, and keys in said recesses, said sectional ring having a cylindrical bore and conical periphery, and a flat base bearing against the outer end of the hard-metal ring in the stuffing-box, but being itself wholly within the gland, and a conically-bored hard-metal ring, also wholly within said gland, and in engagement with the said sectional soft-metal ring.

2. In a metallic packing, the combination of a stuffing-box, and its suitably-packed gland,with a piston-rod passing therethrough; a ring resting against the bottom of the stuifing-box and having an outwardly-projecting annular flange; another ring surrounding said rod adjacent to the outer end of the stuffing-box, said last-named ring being shouldered on its periphery, and there centrally screw-threaded, each edge of said periphery being conical; another ring screwed on the last-named ring; a spiral tension-spring surrounding the piston-rod between the first and last named rings; a sectional soft-metal packing-ring, having a flat base, a cylindrical bore, and a conical periphery, the sections of said ring being united by keys at their meeting edges, and surrounding the piston-rod within the gland; another hard-metal ring, having a conical bore bearing upon the said soft-metal packing-ring; and another ring surrounding but of greater diameter than the piston rod, and having a Hat base and a spherically-rounded periphery, the said base having sliding contact with the outer face or edge of the cone-bored ring, and the rounded periphery having a rolling contact with the similarly-rounded inner end surface of the gland.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB G. MILLER.

Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERwooD, B. O. ROLOFF.

ICC 

